Drinking straw

ABSTRACT

A drinking straw is set forth, comprising an elongate tubular body fabricated from a material that loses rigidity when wet, and at least one ring of perforations circumscribing the elongate tubular body forming at least one frangible segment that can be removed when the material loses rigidity.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention is directed to drinking straws, and more particularly to a drinking straw having at least one frangible segment.

2. Description of the Related Art

A drinking straw is a utensil intended to convey a beverage from a vessel such as a cup, can or bottle, to a person's mouth. In its most basic form, a drinking straw comprises an elongate tubular body having an opening at a bottom end for insertion in the beverage, and an opening in a top end for insertion into a user's mouth. In operation, the beverage enters the opening at the bottom end and is carried through the tubular body by means of suction applied by the user at the opening in the top end.

Traditionally, drinking straws have been fabricated from plastics intended for single-use, such as thermoplastic polymers (e.g. polypropylene). However, environmental concerns have led to an increase in biodegradable straws made of paper and paperboard. Indeed, several jurisdictions have banned single-use plastic straws in an effort to reduce plastic pollution.

One disadvantage of paper and paperboard straws is that they tend not to be water-resistant, leading to a loss in rigidity at the top end when soaked as a result of contact with the user's mouth and the beverage passing through the top end,

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an aspect of the present invention to address the above-noted disadvantage of paper and paperboard straws by providing a drinking straw that includes at least one frangible segment at the top end that can be removed when soaked, resulting in a new rigid top end of the straw.

The above aspects can be attained by a drinking straw, comprising an elongate tubular body fabricated from a material that loses rigidity when wet; and at least one ring of weakened material circumscribing the elongate tubular body forming at least one frangible segment that can be removed from the drinking straw when the material loses rigidity.

These together with other aspects and advantages which will be subsequently apparent, reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A shows a drinking straw according to an embodiment.

FIG. 1B shows the drinking straw of FIG. 1A with a frangible segment thereof removed.

FIG. 1C is an exploded view of a portion of the drinking straw of FIG. 1A.

FIG. 1D is a cross-section through one wall of the exploded view of the drinking straw in FIG. 1C.

FIG. 1E is an exploded view of a portion of the drinking straw of FIG. 1A, according to a first alternative embodiment.

FIG. 1F is an exploded view of a portion of the drinking straw of FIG. 1A, according to a further alternative embodiment.

FIG. 2 shows a drinking straw according to a further embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

With reference to FIG. 1A, an exemplary drinking straw 1 is shown, comprising an elongate tubular body 2 fabricated from a material that loses rigidity when wet, such as paper or paperboard. The elongate tubular body 2 has an opening 3 at a bottom end for insertion into a cup, can, glass etc. of beverage, and an opening 4 in a top end for insertion into a user's mouth for suctioning the beverage through the straw.

The material forming the elongate tubular body 2 is thinned forming a ring 5 of weakened material that circumscribes the elongate tubular body 2, resulting in at least one frangible segment 6 that can be removed, as shown in FIG. 1B, when the material loses rigidity as a result of becoming wet. FIG. 1C shows the ring 5 of weakened material in greater detail, and FIG. 1D shows a cross-section through the outer wall of the elongate tubular body 2. The ring 5 can be formed, for example, by scribing the material (e.g. paper or paperboard) with a sharp tool such as a perforating knife.

Whereas FIGS. 1C and 1D illustrate the ring 5 of weakened material is formed as a solid line, FIG. 1E shows an exploded view of an alternative embodiment wherein the ring 5 is formed as a series of cuts in a dashed line pattern. FIG. 1F shows an exploded view of a further alternative embodiment wherein the ring 5 of weakened material is formed as a series of tooth-shaped cuts, where pointed portions of each tooth shape project from the frangible segment 6 to be removed rather than the remaining portion of the straw 1, for greater comfort when drinking.

In all embodiments, it is important for proper suctioning of the drinking straw 1 that the ring 5 of weakened material does not perforate the material so as to form a leak. Thus, in the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1D it is important that the portion of weakened material forming ring 5 does not extend to the inner wall of the straw but extends sufficiently to facilitate easy tearing. The depth of the ring 5 from the outer wall toward the inner wall can be varied based on the strength of the material of the elongate tubular body 2 when wet.

Although the ring 5 in FIGS. 1A and 10 is shown as a solid line of weakened material, ring 5 can also be in the form of slits, dimples or other forms of material thinning operable to create the frangible segment 6. FIG. 2 shows a drinking straw according to an alternative embodiment having a plurality of rings 5 of circumscribing the elongate tubular body 2 forming a plurality of frangible segments 6. Although only two rings and segments are shown, it will be understood that three or more frangible segments can be provided.

The many features and advantages of the invention are apparent from the detailed specification and, thus, it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such features and advantages of the invention that fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation illustrated and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A drinking straw, comprising: an elongate tubular body fabricated from a material that loses rigidity when wet; and at least one ring of weakened material circumscribing the elongate tubular body forming at least one frangible segment that can be removed from the drinking straw when the material loses rigidity.
 2. The drinking straw of claim 1, comprising a plurality of rings of weakened material circumscribing the elongate tubular body forming a plurality of frangible segments.
 3. The drinking straw of claim 1, wherein the material is paper or paperboard.
 4. The drinking straw of claim 1, wherein the ring of weakened material extends from an outer wall of the elongate tubular body toward an inner wall thereof.
 5. The drinking straw of claim 1, wherein the ring of weakened material is in the form of a solid line.
 6. The drinking straw of claim 1, wherein the ring of weakened material is in the form of a dashed line.
 7. The drinking straw of claim 1, wherein the ring of weakened material is in the form of a tooth-shaped line.
 8. The drinking straw of claim 7, wherein pointed portions of the tooth-shaped line project from the frangible segment. 